CHRISTMAS FLY
NOTHING less than a raging tempest will stop them flying at
Hendon ! And this was about the state of the weather last Bank
Holiday, otherwise there would have been flying from 11.30 a.m.,
as a fine programme had been arranged by the management.
On the Saturday and Sunday before Christmas Day, however, some
very good work was seen, while several fine flights were made last
week-end in spite of the gale that was blowing both Saturday and
Sunday.
About 18 flights were put up on Saturday, the 21st ult., Louis
Noel being the first up at 2.45 p.m. on the 80-h.p. Farman biplane,
taking with him a passenger, lie was followed five minutes after
wards by M. D. Manton, who flew the Grahame-White 'bus. At
3 o'clock Noel again went up with a passenger on the 80-h.p.
Farman, after which Sydney Pickles made his first flight on the
Grahame-White 'bus. It was an interesting experience for him, as
the handling of this biplane was, he said, quite different to that of
the Caudron biplane. Nevertheless, he made an exceedingly steady
flight at about three or four hundred feet, finishing up with a
splendid landing.
Marcel Desoutter next ascended on the 50-h.p. Bleriot mono
plane, while FierTe Verrier and Manton also took the air, the
former on the Maurice Farman biplane, with a 75-h.p. Renault
engine, and the latter on the Grahame-White 'bus ; both remained
up for over ten minutes. Noel was away again on the Farman,
while the last two were still up, and shortly after M. Richet (who
had made an attempt at the British height-record earlier in the day,
but had to give up after having reached a height of 1,100 ft. in
about six minutes), ascended on a new|military Breguet biplane, with
a noh.p. Canton Unne" engine, which is placed in a horizontal
position, and drives the four-bladed propeller through gearing.
He had with him a lady passenger, and remained aloft for 16
minutes, flying very high over the surrounding country.
Lewis Turner then gave a short exhibition flight on the Caudron
biplane, and Sydney Pickles made another flight on the Grahame-
White 'bus of about 10 minutes' duration, and at a much greater
height.
Verrier also went out again on the Maurice Farman at the
same time, so there were then four biplanes in the air—the Breguet,
® ®
ROYAL FLYING CORPS.
THE following appointment was announced in the London Gazette
of the 20th ult. :—
Military Wing.—Second Lieut. Alan Hartree, Royal Artillery,
is appointed to the Reserve. Dated December 21st, 1912.
The following appointment was announced in the London Gazette:
of the 25th ult. :—
Military Wing.—Second Lieut, (on probation) Geoffrey de
Haviland is confirmed in his rank.
The following appointments were announced by the Admiralty
on the 27th ult.:—
Lieuts.—J. W. Seddon, to the " Actueon," as Flight Com
mander, Royal Flying Corps, for charge of Isle of Grain Air
Station ; S. D. A. Grey, to the " Actceon," additional, as Flight
Commander, Royal Flying Corps; C. J. L'Estrange Malone,
graded as Flight Commander, Royal Flying Corps; F. L. M.
Boothby and H. L. Woodcock, to the " Action," additional, as
flying officers, Royal Flying Corps (Airship Section). Dated
December 31st, 1912. J. T. Babington, to the " Aclaeon,"
additional, for aviation course at Eastchurch. Dated January 3rd,
I9I3- .
Assistant-Paymaster E. B. Parker, to " Actteon," additional,
for aviation course at Eastchurch. Dated January 3rd, 1913.
Royal Marines.—Capt. R. Gordon (R.M.L.I.), to the
"Actieon," additional, as Squadron Commander, Royal Flying
Corps. Dated December 31st, 1912.
Lieut. T. S. Creswell (R.M.L.I.), to the " Actoeon," additional,
for aviation course. Dated January 3rd, 1913.
The following appointments were announced by the Admiralty on
the 31st ult. :—
Lieuts. H. D. Vernon, R. P. Ross, J. R. B. Kennedy, and
D. A. Oliver, to the " President," additional, for aviation course at
Central Flying School, to date January 17th.
Royal Naval Reserve.—Lieut. F. W. Bowhill and Sub-Lieut.
A. W. Big^worth, both to the "President," additional, for aviation
course at Central Flying School, to date January 17th.
Royal Marines.—Lieut. C. E. H. Rathborne, to the " President,"
additional, for aviation course at Central Flying School, to date
January 17th.
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve—Sub^Lieuts. R. L. G. Marix
and H. A. Littleton, to the " President," additional, for aviation
course at Central Flying School, to date Janua»y 17th.
JANUARY 4, 1913.
NG AT HENDON.
the Caudron, the "G.-W." 'bus, and the Maurice Farman. The
engine of the Breguet is comparatively silent, especially when
throttled down, which seems strange after the noise these engines
usually make. Shortly before 4 o'clock, Noel made a short
passenger flight on the Farman, and as he came down Desoutter
got away on the Bleriot and flew round about the neighbourhood
at varying heights for about 12 minutes. During this latter flight,
Manton and Verrier each put in a final flight on their respective
machines—the Grahame-White and the Maurice Farman biplanes.
Several trial flights were made throughout the afternoon by
Capt. Deroye and Lieut. Porte on new British-built Deperdussin
monoplanes.
The next day, Sunday, was fine with very little wind, and a good
attendance. Several very fine flights were made, all of them being
of much longer duration than usual. Verrier was up over the out
lying country at 1,000 ft. on the Maurice Farman with a passenger.
Louis Noel took several passengers on the 80-h.p. Farman, at one
time taking Sydney Pickles with him to Wembley, over the spot
where Lieut. Parke and A. Hardwick were killed, finding the
atmosphere very tricky at this particular place. Other flights were
made by Marcel Desoutter on the Bleriot monoplane and by Lewis
Turner on the 60-h.p. Anzani-Caudron biplane.
As we previously mentioned, Bank Holiday was a blank day
owing to the terrible weather, while on the Saturday after it was
not much better, the wind blowing in gusts of about 40 miles an
hour. But for all that, two exceedingly plucky and daring flights
were made by Marcel Desoutter on the 50-h.p. Gnome-Bleriot
monoplane, and Louis Noel on the 80-h.p. Farman. Both aviators
had a very rough time of it, and it was a relief to everyone when
they landed safely. Enough is as good as a feast, they say, but
aviators appear to think otherwise, for the next day, with the
weather about the same, both Desoutter and Noel went out again
on their machines. The former reached a height of over 2,000 ft.
and then the oil pipe broke, so he had to stop his engine and
vol plant? to earth. It was a remarkable descent, for as he was
facing the wind, he only moved forward a very little, so he seemed
to be "pancaking" nearly the whole time. Noel, also, had engine
trouble, but was fortunately able to eflect a safe landing.
® ®
AN "EXTRAORDINARY OCCURRENCE" TRULY.
MR. D, LAWRENCE SANTONI, Managing Director of the British
Deperdussin Aeroplane Co., Ltd., writes us as follows in regard to
the following extraordinary occurrence which took place at the
London Aerodrome, Hendon, on Sunday morning, Dec. 22nd, 1912.
"Lieut. J. C. Porte, R.N., was flying a Military two-seater
aeroplane, with looh.p. Anzani engine of the same type as won
the second and third prizes in the recent British Military Trials on
Salisbury Plain, with a distinguished naval officer as passenger.
After a half circuit of the aerodrome the engine suddenly stopped,
when Lieut. Porte was 150 ft. over the trees surrounding the
aerodrome, and it was only by great skill that he managed to just
land a couple of yards inside the aerodrome fence.
" Had the engine stopped five seconds before, he would have had
no alternative but to come down on the trees, when the machine
would have been wrecked, most probably with the loss of his and
his passenger's life.
" The engine was immediately examined, and it was found that all
the working parts inside were completely smashed. On dismantling
the engine, a small steel nut which was no part of the machinery, was
discovered in the crank-case ; this nut had jammed up the connecting
rod, causing the pistons to break and completely destroying the
engine. Thisnut could by no possible means havegotinsidetheengine
except by wilful design, and to place the nut in the crank-case one
cylinder must have been dismantled, which operation would have
taken about a quarter of an hour. This outrage is the more
abominable that the cowardly hand must have known that Lieut.
Porte seldom flew on that machine alone, generally taking a
passenger. His escape is one in a thousand, especially on that
morning when a nasty wind was blowing, making the conditions
all the more dangerous.
"On the day previously, Saturday, December 21st, 1912, the
same machine flown by Lieut. Porte, and another military two-
seater British Deperdussin monoplane flown by Monsieur Deroye,
the chief pilot of the Italian Deperdussin firm, had both been
tampered with, the carburettor on each machine having been filled
with water. This further extraordinary occurrence all the more
accentuates the deliberate nature of the outrage. Had the machines
been flown by others than expsrts, fatal accidents might also in this
case have easily happened.
"This serious matter has been placed in the hands of the Royal
Aero Club for thorough investigation."
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